


anchored

by orphan_account



Category: Tsuritama
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-25
Updated: 2013-05-25
Packaged: 2017-12-12 22:05:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/816569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Only one person was supposed to be able to find the Goddess -- and it had to be him, Yuki Sanada, the knight of King George.</p>
            </blockquote>





	anchored

The knight had made his way through the entire palace, had crept through hidden corridors and followed the passage mapped out by an intelligent cartographer. It should be here. The Goddess, told in legend, should be guarding her treasure in this very cavern. Taking his helmet off, Yuki stood in awe as he came to the clearing. It was colder, much colder in this almost vacant room. All around him he could see fish of varying sizes and color, the water in which they swam illuminating the cave-like environment. It went for miles above, seemingly having no end, and was surrounded by glass. Such a thing struck him as odd and deeply puzzling. The legend said nothing about an aquarium. Was it recently built? He wasn't the sort of person who'd be able to tell. Natsuki Usami, who  _could_  tell, would have accompanied him inside, but unfortunately, he wasn't allowed. Only one was supposed to be able to find the Goddess and it had to be him, Yuki Sanada, the knight of King George.   
  
Carrying onward, he stepped further in to the enclosure, watching as fish swam away, many schools going in one particular direction. From where he could see, there was a small cave in the back of the aquarium itself.  
  
 _She must be there._  
  
How would he be able to get to her? The top was too far up. If he could find a passage to climb to where the opening was, he could ( _possibly_ ) fish the Goddess out. He might get lost, however. This was the clear path as mapped out for him. Heaving a sigh, the knight stepped closer, belongings abandoned. The blue of the water illuminated the room, waves bouncing on the grey rock that made the cavern. He could see fish swimming from almost every direction, even when he looked above him. Just how was this constructed? At one point it had probably been entirely full of water, with a smaller hole up on the roof for the owners of this nearly-destroyed palace.   
  
His eyes traveled toward the cavern in the aquarium, his breath catching when he saw a human swim toward him. His assumption had been wrong when he saw the humanoid creature emerge. Floating there, was a half-human, half-fish, looking at Yuki in awe. Was this the legendary Goddess? Yuki would have taken it to be the Goddess, if only there wasn't one thing off.  
  
The creature was male.   
  
Blond, yellow, scaly, yet male from what Yuki could see. Feminine as the creature was, there was a distinct lack of chest that would cue him into the creature being female. But, perhaps he's wrong. Perhaps the species he had just encountered didn't live up to biological standards. Feeling uncertain, he didn't know how to identify it. In the end, he chose not to identify it at all.  
  
It was all so surreal, either way. There he stood, his eyes wide as he looked upon the merperson. He had heard of merpeople, read many a tale about them, but to see one before him, trapped behind glass and with fish circling nearby, perhaps communicating with the merperson -- it was all too much. He almost fainted. Yuki swallowed hard, his hands shaking. The merperson swam closer, putting its hands to the glass and looking at Yuki with intense curiosity. Yuki took in every fine detail he could make out. Gills, scales even on its feminine face, unearthly, violet eyes, blond hair that floated, and an almost antenna-like piece of blond hair on the top of its head. It was pale, almost translucent. Its golden tail moved, swishing fluidly.   
  
The creature was beautiful, Yuki concluded. He was absolutely dumbfounded, awed, and frightened, all at once. His face was certainly morphing into the face that earned him the name of "The Stone Fish Knight." Feeling the sweat on his brow, he stood frozen, only moving when he saw the merperson laugh. Or, well, he supposed it was laughing. It caught sight of Yuki relaxing and relaxed itself, letting gravity take him lower and beckoning him with a wave of its hand.   
  
By some miracle, Yuki came unhinged, moving slowly toward the creature. The other fish seemed to disappear and all he could focus on was the ethereal figure before him. He put a cautious hand to the glass, grey eyes narrowing slightly. The merperson followed suit, glancing down and mimicking Yuki, a smile on its face. He felt a smile tug on his own lips. Placing his other hand on the glass, he wasn't surprised when the merperson touched it. The glass was cool, the closeness unnerving in many ways. Never had he been so nervous before. Never had he been so bold, either. The smile of the creature floating so close to him seemed to make him want to push himself. Its smile triggered his own. Remarkable.  
  
Leaning in even closer, he could see the gills move as the creature breathed, could see almost everything. Yuki stared, freezing up when the creature shut its eyes, leaning against the glass, as if to engage in a kiss. It knew what kissing was? Maybe not. Maybe he was over-thinking it. This was impossible for him, though! He couldn't mimic and react with a kiss of his own, that simply wasn't right. Yuki swallowed hard, his face contorting yet again. He couldn't do it. Pulling away, he shook his head, watching as the creature opened its eyes and looked at him with longing. It flailed its arms and pleaded in its own way, soon huffing and folding its arms over. The display was rather endearing, making Yuki laugh just a little bit.   
  
Just meeting it made his whole world illuminated with delight. The legend said something about the Goddess having that effect. Sighing, he returned to looking at the assumed Goddess from the legend, watching as it twirled and tried to impress Yuki. All the while, it never broke its gaze on him, playing with fish and dancing in a way, going a bit higher each time. Looking back up, he got a sudden idea. The creature could go up and he could possible catch it if it tried to jump. But what if it didn't make it?! No, he had to... he had to catch it. This was a sure way he could get it out of there safely, without drowning and without having to fish it out. There was a good chance there was no path left up to the hole in the roof. So much of the palace had been destroyed, after all.   
  
Swallowing hard, he shut his eyes and tried thinking of how it could work. He would position himself carefully. Certainly he would catch it. The Goddess needed retrieving. Even if it could never get the treasure it guarded, he could at least help the Goddess escape its watery prison. Certainly it would rather live outside of the cave. Opening his eyes, Yuki looked to the creature, who was back to being pressed against the glass and staring at him. It tried tapping to get his attention, though the noise was rather quiet. Stepping close again, he pointed to the merperson, then up toward the top. It seemed to get what he meant after a few more points up top and it swam upward with ease, up to where the glass cut off. It popped out from the water and peeked from its position, there being a significant gap that he hadn't seen from the opening of the aquarium and the hole in the roof. It was probably used for fishing the other fish out. How sick.  
  
"Climb out!" Yuki called, beckoning with his hands. The nervousness returned and he felt his stomach flip. He had to do this. He  _had_  to. He would escape with it and find water so it didn't die before calling for his friends. With more summoning of his hands, the creature crawled out, sliding a bit on the glass and letting a noise of fright out. Yuki jolted, his arms out and ready to catch the merperson, adrenaline already pumping through his veins. It slid further and tried clawing its way back toward the water, only to let go and fall from its position.  
  
Yuki yelped, panicking slightly. The merperson landed in his arms safely, unharmed. The fact that he had caught it, though he staggered slightly, left him dumbfounded. He stared, soon snapping out of his thoughts as he realized it was frightened and clinging to him, trying to breathe out of the water. Hurrying, he left behind all that he had brought, carrying the merperson and running as fast as he could without dropping it. The journey back was easier and a great deal faster, and once he had escaped, he rushed toward the sea where the palace was near. Setting it inside of the water, it quickly hurried off to soak itself, Yuki able to see it and its scales shine in the sunlight. When it flicked its tail, it splashed Yuki, making him sputter and step back. Shaking his head, he watched as it dove underwater for a bit, soon returning to the shore. Waving its arms, it beckoned toward Yuki, who cautiously went over. He held his arms out and hoisted the creature back up, swallowing as it nuzzled close in affection.   
  
Ignoring it, he quickly went back to his party, who were waiting any sign of Yuki. Natsuki came close first, stopping and looking in awe at the half-human creature, knowing full well what it was.   
  
"Human. Make it human," Yuki rasped, his hold on the creature not faltering. Natsuki's jaw went slack. What was he saying?! Had he gone mad during his time in the palace?! If he made such a rare creature human... "Please! It can't live like this. It needs to be human."  
  
A mage could do that much. Natsuki feared making the creature human. This had to be none other than the Goddess of legend, though she had been depicted much differently. There was no way this could be anything else.   
  
"I can't. Who knows what it could cause--"  
  
"Change him," Yuki repeated, not leaving room for more of Natsuki's reasoning. Natsuki sighed and gave way to the knight's demand by coming closer. The creature was starting to become dry and in need of water. Its hold on Yuki weakened and he instantly went to yell at Natsuki once more, when the mage held a hand up to the creature's tail. A mage he was, but a strong mage he was not -- a spell like this could prove dangerous. His father could make it human in an instant, but he had never tried such a thing before. Doing his best to remain calm, Natsuki uttered words under his breath and the creature's grip loosened more, Yuki looking down in fright, afraid it had died.   
  
He felt a warmth in his arms and looked down, the tail glowing. As suddenly as it had started, it had stopped, and the tail fell off as though it had always been a layer of skin. In its place were legs, and when Yuki looked and watched, the rest of its body matched up, scales dropping off and gills closing up to make for a normal, human neck. The (very much male) human breathed in, squirming in Yuki's arms. Yuki shook his head and looked confused for a few moments, as if he hadn't asked Natsuki anything and as if he hadn't been there at all. The human figure came as a surprise to him and he yelped, looking at the boy who took a look around. He was very naked and very male and it was all very embarrassing for Yuki to witness, very glad that the boy hopped out of his arms and looked around at the world around him.   
  
"Woooooow!! Amazing! Amazing, amazing!" he yelped, flailing his arms. Natsuki turned around and ordered one of the others to bring a pair of clothes so the Goddess didn't go prancing about naked any longer. All the boy would get was a robe, flimsy as it seemed. Yuki draped it around the boy as he bounced around, calming down once he felt Yuki's presence. Yuki didn't get it. He didn't understand why the creature was now human or why he was so excited. He'd ask Natsuki later. For now, he was content to seeing him turn around, surprised the boy was capable of speech.  
  
"Who?" he asked, pointing to Yuki. Well, he could speak, but he didn't know much, it seemed. Maybe words he had picked up from the people who fished in the cave?  
  
"Yuki."  
  
"Haru!" he replied, pointing to himself.  _Fitting_ , Yuki thought, unable to resist smiling a bit. Haru smiled wider, leaping onto Yuki once more. Holding onto the boy, he swallowed nervously, not certain what to do. Haru seemed content to nuzzle and stay latched onto Yuki, who couldn't help but allow it. Natsuki gave up, still upset he had to cast a spell on the creature. He couldn't deny the knight's orders. All he could do was follow along and carry out his duties. In time, Yuki will regret it, he knew that much.

\--

That night, they ventured toward the castle where the knight resided. Explaining that the Goddess was no Goddess, but simple a merperson that had now been turned human was going to be difficult. Yuki wasn't looking forward to it. He breathed out, looking to Haru, who slept soundly against him. He had so many questions for the boy. He had so many things he wanted to figure out, to have answers to. Perhaps his answers would be of some use to the King, who had ordered for someone to see if the legend held true (for selfish reasons, like the treasure). Perhaps he could lie, say he had found nothing in that cavern. Natsuki would know the truth, as would the men who accompanied them. Could he ask them to keep it all a secret? He mulled it over more, feeling the wind through his red hair as he forced his horse along. Haru's grip was firm on him as he leaned against Yuki's back, though he slept soundly all the same.   
  
Coming to a stop, his party set up camp. There were a couple of days of travel in store from them. The ruined palace bordered the edge of the kingdom from whence they came, enough for a few days of travel, provided they took necessary breaks. The time would be cut shorter had they not taken breaks and had not picked up Haru. There would be accommodations and interrogations, but they would come later the following day. Yuki carried Haru carefully, trying not to disturb the boy's sleep. He felt weightless in his arms, angelic and just as ethereal as he had appeared to him in the cave. He thought back to him person against the glass and felt a blush creep and spread across his face. Chiding himself, he carried Haru to his own tent, which he would now be sharing. Laying him down, he was about to move away and speak to Natsuki, when Haru's arms pulled Yuki in close. He pressed against Haru's bare chest, his blush only intensifying. This wasn't happening. Haru wasn't holding him close like this, he most certainly was not laid bare for him to see, the robe loose and coming undone with supreme ease. No, no,  _no._  Yuki was panicking, but he couldn't pull back. Haru's grip was strong and when Yuki glanced up, he noticed those violet eyes were open.  
  
"Stay," Haru whispered. His expression was soft, inviting. His gaze was tired. Yuki stopped struggling and only then did the grip on him loosen, soft hands pulling away from the knight. Leaning up, Haru pressed his lips to red hair that laid against Yuki's forehead and he stayed frozen, shaking in his nervousness. Pulling away, Haru smiled, and the smile illuminated Yuki once more. The darkness and the thoughts of the worst outcomes possible vanished at just the simple gesture of the boy's smile.   
  
Pulling away, he did so only to rid himself of the armor that proved most unnecessary, setting it aside from where they would sleep. He felt the urge to cover Haru with some other garment, though he had none on hand. He managed to slip the robe off and turned it so the boy's body was covered rather than open for him to see. More at ease, he stayed close, surprised by how tired he became. Haru watched him and he watched in return, sleepy, yet curious and in need of answers. Yuki breathed out and let his eyes slip shut, the events of the day having caught up to him. Haru fell asleep huddled close to the knight, soon enveloped by warmth as Yuki wrapped his arms around him.  
  
He stayed.

**Author's Note:**

> I want to continue this someday since I have some ideas, but I decided to post this for now. Who knows when I'll have the inspiration to pick it back up. This was somewhat inspired by the Piratama AU on Tumblr.


End file.
